Exploring the Feasibility and Effectiveness of Phytoremediation for Environmental Restoration: A Review

Abstract

The debate on the applicability, cost-effectiveness, and efficiency of phytoremediation as a plant-based treatment to clean the environment is intensifying. Phytoremediation is the application of plants, microbes, nutrients, and/or agronomic techniques to soil, sediment, and water resources to contain or neutralize contaminants. Phytoremediation serves multiple goals, including soil stabilization, erosion control, and enhancement of wildlife habitat. Plants can absorb, translocate, transform, and immobilize hazardous metals, thereby lowering their toxicity and environmental concentration. This process is widely used in industry nowadays due to being both cost-effective and ecologically friendly. However, there is no denying that each process has its own pros and cons. There is no perfect process. Thus, this review aims to provide researchers of environmental science with a better understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of this method.